USS Wainwright Mobile Museum on Display at National Naval Aviation Museum May 10

By Malerie Shelton-Mshelton@navalaviationmuseum.org

May 2, 2017 –Pensacola, Fl—The USS Wainwright Mobile Museum will be making a port visit at the National Naval Aviation Museum located onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola on Wed., May 10, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The museum commemorates the ship that saw service from 1966 to 1993 and honors the Wainwright family as well as the vessels that carried the same name and saw action in World Wars I and II.

The USS Wainwright DLG/CG-28 was a Belknap class cruiser that served in the United States Navy from 1966 through 1993. The Wainwright was home ported in Charleston, South Carolina and was active in the Navy from the Vietnam War through the Persian Gulf War.

After the U.S.S. Wainwright was decommissioned in 1993 the ship was moved to the inactive fleet in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Members of the U.S.S. Wainwright Veterans Association contacted the Navy and efforts were made to save the ship as a museum. The association was unable to save the Wainwright and in 2002 the ship was sunk as a target off the coast of Virginia.

The Navy allowed members of the association onto the ship to remove items prior to the sinking exercise. The association was able to remove more than 5 tons of artifacts. These items were kept in storage and displayed at ships reunions for several years. After many discussions and rigorous planning, the Association decided to create a mobile museum to not only commemorate the ship but the two previous hulls that held the same name: DD-62 which served in WWI, and DD-419 which served in WWII.

For more information about the National Naval Aviation Museum or Foundation, contact Malerie Shelton at (850) 453-2389 or mshelton@navalaviationmuseum.org.

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